Zak Crawley Unaware of Stokes' Provocative 'Frail Characters' Remarks

England opening batter Zak Crawley has indicated he had no knowledge of statements from captain Ben Stokes about the dressing room as no place for "weak men".

The all-rounder made this message in several conversations following his team's loss in the second match of the Ashes series against the Australians previously.

In the lead-up to the Adelaide Test, where England are staring at a series loss with a match to spare, Stokes noted he had let his message to "circulate freely" within the squad.

"I have completed all the talking over the past two days that I required," remarked the England leader.

But, after the opener made 85 on the penultimate day in the third Test, he stated: "I didn't see that."

"I wasn't actively searching for it. We take everything that is said in the media with some skepticism," Crawley continued.

Frank Discussions and Consistent Messaging

The captain issued his "weak men" comment after his side suffered a loss in the second Test to go two matches behind.

The England squad subsequently took a holiday to a Queensland resort in the gap between the second and the upcoming matches.

Prior to this match, Stokes said his players had held "raw" conversations and he had urged them to "display some fight" in their effort to remain alive in the Ashes battle.

Nevertheless, the Kent batsman stated the guidance from Stokes and coach McCullum had remained consistent with their prior tenure in leadership.

"It's been extremely upbeat, unchanged," said Crawley. "The focus is just trying to be optimistic, playing our brand, with great liberty. We believed we could do something special going into this game."

The Hosts Close of Historic Ashes Triumph

The opener's dismissal on day four came during a decisive three-wicket burst by Australia spinner Lyon.

The spinner's three wickets in 20 deliveries – including the wickets of Brook and Stokes himself – meant England six down for 207 in pursuit of a daunting target of 435.

This means, Australia require four wickets on the last day to move to an unassailable 3-0 lead with three Tests.

Defeat will extend England's drought in this country to 18 consecutive matches and ensure a fourth straight away Ashes defeat.

This series is set to be decided in only 11 days of play – with England losing the first two Tests in rapid time respectively.

The last time 1921, when the Australians sealed a series win in the UK in eight days, has the destination of the Ashes urn been decided so quickly. The hosts have also triumphed in 11 days on two other occasions in the 21st century.

"This is disheartening," admitted Crawley. "Our goal was to regain the Ashes and now we are staring down the barrel now."

"There remains plenty to play for and we will definitely view it with that mindset," he continued.

"The challenge has been tough. They're a very, very good team. It was always going to be tough coming here to face them. They were the front-runners coming in to it they've proven why."

Pope's Position Under Scrutiny

Although Crawley's performance in Adelaide likely secures doubts about his immediate place in the England team, Ollie Pope appears under immense pressure for his position in the fourth Test starting December 26th.

Pope was out for 17 runs in England's second knock on day four, adding to his poor record against the old enemy.

Across 16 Ashes innings, Pope has failed to score a fifty and boasts an average of just 17.62.

A solitary other England player since 1900 – Dennis Amiss – has featured an equal number of innings in the top order in the Ashes and recorded a poorer average.

However, Crawley said any suggestion Pope is under the microscope comes from "the media" – meaning the journalists – "and not within the team."

"We all know of his considerable talent," said he. "He has had a productive year to be frank."

"He has produced several excellent innings. It is talk externally. There's no chat like that on Ollie in the camp," he concluded.